WET DATE A couple takes a stroll on a flooded street in the village of Lasip, Calasiao town, Pangasinan province. —WILLIE LOMIBAO
A state of calamity has been declared in two of the country’s most populous provinces — Cavite and Pangasinan — after days of rain brought flooding which all but paralyzed transportation and commerce in many areas.
Flooding triggered by the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” swept through most of Cavite’s coastal towns and cities.
The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) said Cavite bore the brunt of the rains in terms of number of people displaced.
Cavite Gov. Jesus Crispin Remulla said the state of calamity had to cover the entire province even if only coastal towns were severely hit by the flooding.
The Calabarzon disaster response council said more than 8,000 people were in evacuation centers in the region.
P1 B in damage
Pangasinan officials said floodwaters dumped by monsoon rains destroyed at least P1 billion worth of crops and infrastructure.
A state of calamity was declared because of massive flooding that residents compared to what happened in 2009 when Typhoon “Pepeng” dumped record rainfall that submerged nearly all towns and cities.
On Monday, 24 towns and four cities remained flooded and thousands of hectares of newly planted rice lands had been submerged, based on initial reports.
More than 1,000 families remained in different evacuation centers.
Dagupan City remained flooded mainly because of the high tide. The city, which lies downstream of the Sinocalan River, was swamped by water from a breached dike in Sta. Barbara town.
Bayanihan
Classes in all levels and work in some government offices were canceled on Monday.
Floods drew out the Bayanihan spirit in Dagupan and neighboring Calasiao town.
In the village of Malued in Dagupan, homeowners opened their doors to neighbors when floods rose above their roofs, according to Filipina delos Santos, village chair.
A local bakeshop donated bread and pastries for the displaced.
SWOLLEN Ilang-Ilang River in Cavite province overflows amid heavy rains brought by Tropical Depression “Josie.” —RICHARD A. REYES
In the village of Bued in Calasiao town, the payloader of village chair Carlito Dion became an instant ambulance as there were no vehicles that could pass through the flooded highway to Dagupan.
“A young child’s forehead was cut from a fall, and a girl from Umingan was unconscious and was supposed to be taken to a hospital in Dagupan. But since the highway was not passable, the payloader took them to the hospital,” Dion said.
Widespread flooding
In Cavite, flooding hit the cities of Cavite, Imus and Bacoor and the towns of Noveleta, Tanza, Rosario and Silang.
In Rizal, the towns of Rodriguez, San Mateo, Cainta and Taytay were flooded.
Flooding also hit areas in the two Mindoro provinces—Oriental and Occidental, according to disaster response officials in the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) region.
Occidental Mindoro Gov. Mario Gene Mendiola ordered work and classes suspended.
In Oriental Mindoro, Gov. Alfonso Umali Jr. on Sunday also suspended classes because of widespread flooding.
In Calabarzon, rains have prompted evacuations starting on Sunday.
In Negros Occidental, local governments in two cities and five towns suspended classes on Monday in anticipation of heavy rains and flooding.
Classes stopped
Portia Mallorca, Negros Occidental schools division superintendent, said classes in several levels were suspended in the cities of Bago and Talisay and the towns of Pontevedra, EB Magalona, Salvador Benedicto, Murcia and Valladolid.
As Tropical Depression “Josie” left the Philippine area of responsibility, another low pressure area was spotted 1,580 kilometers east of Southern Luzon, which would be named “Karding.”
Mayor Nicholas Yulo, of Bago City, said a man identified as JR Estillo was reported missing on Sunday afternoon after he was swept by strong current due to heavy rains while fishing with his friends.
Yulo said 79 families in the village of Lagasan in Bago were forced to seek shelter at relatives’ houses after the creek near their houses overflowed.
He said he had to suspend classes on Monday to keep the children safe.
Mayor Marxlen dela Cruz, of Salvador Benedicto town, said while there were no report of floods or landslides in his town, heavy rains pose a danger to students walking through slippery trails and overflowing creeks.
Damage estimates
The Department of Agriculture (DA) estimated damage caused by two previous storms—“Henry” and “Inday”—to reach P600 million.
The rice sector suffered the biggest loss—P428 million, according to the DA.
More than 26,667 hectares of rice farms were heavily damaged nationwide. Agriculture in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon and Central Luzon suffered the heaviest damage.
Andrew Villacorta, assistant agriculture secretary for operations, said most of the damaged farms were on their vegetative and seedling stages.
At least 12,000 farmers suffered losses, he said.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said there’s a good side to the rain—nonirrigated lands got enough water for the second cropping.
In the Philippines, at least two-thirds of total rice areas were still dependent on rain for irrigation.
Olongapo fatality
At least 1 million hectares of rice farms in the Philippines were still rain-fed.
A woman died in a landslide in Olongapo City on Sunday following sustained rains.
Maria Veronica Rafael, 35, was pinned inside her house that was flattened by rock and mudslides in the village of Mabanuan. Six of her relatives were hurt. Rafael was declared dead on arrival at James Gordon Memorial Hospital in Olongapo.
On Sunday, a state of calamity was also declared in Balanga City in Bataan province.
Flash floods struck Dinalupihan town, also in Bataan, and portions of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway from Sunday night until early Monday, with no cut-off channel that would have eased the flooding.
The mouth of the Pampanga River is heavily silted but has not been dredged by the Department of Public Works and Highways, officials said.
Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda instructed mayors of Masantol and Macabebe towns “to be prepared for evacuation or move to safer places.” Floods have now affected 106 villages in Pampanga. — Reports from Maricar Cinco, Carla P. Gomez, Madonna Virola, Karl R. Ocampo, Tonette Orejas, Gabriel Cardinoza and Yolanda Sotelo